The railway strike in Skåne is now in its second week, and Skåne Traffic and five other municipal traffic firms are losing 15 million kronor ($2.2 million) for each week the conflict continues.
"We pay nothing for not running the trains, but we are losing 2.5 to 3 million kronor a day in lost ticket profits," Gunnar Wulff, CEO of Öresundståg AB, told newspaper Sydsvenskan. "The conflict costs money and it has to be paid somehow."
Wulff said that the strike may be reflected in increased taxes on tickets.
IN PICTURES: Malmö passengers sound off about the train strike
Skåne Traffic board member Mats Persson said such action is unreasonable and unlikely given that Skåne Traffic is by no means hard of cash.
"We're talking about a surplus of 100 million kronor," Persson stated.
The strike broke out last Monday when around 250 workers on the southern Sweden train lines went on strike, leaving an estimated 75,000 passengers stranded. Many travellers have opted to take the car during the strike – last week 20 percent more vehicles than usual crossed the Öresund Bridge.
TT/sr
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